Proceedings of the 8th International Academic Conference on Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Teacher Facilitation in Promoting Collaboration in Film Production Class
Biwei Cong
ABSTRACT:
Higher education institutions, such as Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, emphasize the development of both professional skills and essential social skills in students. One of the crucial objectives is to equip students with effective collaboration abilities, which plays a vital role in diverse fields, particularly in film production. To foster a collaborative environment and promote experiential learning, many teachers in higher education institutions often incorporate group projects as a fundamental component. However, through practice, it is evident that grouping students together to make a film project does not guarantee successful collaboration. This study aims to identify challenges in student collaboration in their project-based learning (PBL), evaluating teacher’s facilitation in promoting students’ collaboration, and propose strategies for enhancing their collaboration skills. The action research method was employed, with data collected using qualitative methods, including semi-structured questionnaires and interviews with Year-2 filmmaking students in the Fiction Theory and Practice class at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Key findings indicate that PBL effectively develops students’ practical skills, communication, and problem-solving abilities. In the PBL process, teacher’s facilitation, including building a collaborative environment through lectures and in-class activities, intervening students’ collaboration through giving role-taking guidance, leading “know-yourself” activity and providing continuous check-ins and feedback through the process, significantly improved group dynamics, and enhance students’ collaborative skills. This research underscores the critical role of teachers in fostering a supportive learning environment and highlights the importance of effective facilitation in enhancing collaborative learning outcomes. By implementing the proposed improvements, film education programs can more effectively equip students for their future careers.
keywords: Collaboration; Project-based Learning; Teacher Facilitation; Higher education; Film production class